Chapter 28

• Gosto had reserved the entire restaurant for us every table, every chair, every square inch of itjust for our date. He told me he wanted me to feel safe, comfortable. Some might call it a display of dominance, a way to flex his wealth and power. But I didn’t see it that way. It felt personal. Thoughtful. As if I mattered. As if I was... cherished. That feeling alone was so foreign, I had to resist the urge to pinch myself to make sure it wasn’t some elaborate dream.
• The restaurant was perched on the thirtieth floor of a gleaming skyscraper. Everything about it radiated elegance, from the polished floors to the glittering chandeliers. It reminded me of the extravagant Mortal Realm venues I'd always admired from a distance places I had never imagined stepping into, let alone having one completely to myself. Yet here I was, walking into that very dream… with Gosto, knowing we were the only guests tonight. It was surreal.
• A server led us up a winding staircase to a secluded alcove, where a single candlelit table waited beside towering windows.